The field of the invention is flat display panels, and more particularly a self-powered cold temperature flat panel display to operate laptop computers and similar devices in cold weather temperatures of about xe2x88x9220 C.xc2x0.
The Army is adopting laptop computers and flat displays for tactical usage in adverse climactic conditions such as extremely low temperatures. Similarly, many other computer users are finding more and more outdoor or rugged environments where laptop computers can provide useful data collection and other remote capabilities. Current flat display panels and displays on laptop computers will not operate when the temperatures drop between 0 C.xc2x0 or xe2x88x9220 C.xc2x0. Because of these ambient temperature limitations, many users are either forced to forego the many useful outdoor applications of computer technology or increase battery size in order to provide power for a heater to warm the display. In the case of a typical 1 ft.xc3x971 ft. color display, as much as 25 watts of power plus an additional 25 watts of heat are required to operate the display heater. This increased battery size results in the disadvantages of making the laptop cumbersome and bulky, and requires a substantial increased cost of purchasing high-powered batteries for heating purposes. The disadvantages of increased battery size and costs quickly become significant for the Army or any other organization that requires up-to-date computer technology in a remote or hostile cold temperature environment. Thus, there is a long-felt need for a self-powered flat panel display for cold weather applications.
A Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell can generate 30 watts of electric power and up to 17 watts of heat from the chemical reaction in the cell stacks. The PEM fuel cell is designed to remove heat that is an unwanted waste byproduct from a fuel cell system. The present invention is based on using the PEM fuel cell waste heat to warm a flat display in cold temperature conditions to provide a cold temperature display panel that does not suffer from the disadvantages and limitations of increased battery size, increased battery cost, bulkiness and a cumbersome computer device. The self-powered cold temperature capable flat panel display of the present invention allows a tactical military unit to realize the full potential of remote laptop computer use in a cold weather environment for important life-saving mission capabilities such as communications, situational awareness and target acquisition. The self-powered cold temperature capable flat panel display of the present invention allows other computer users to realize the full potential of remote laptop computer use in countless cold weather environments where computers would be useful and cost-effective.
It is one object of the present invention to provide a self-powered cold temperature capable flat panel display by disposing a PEM fuel cell in proximity to a flat panel display to use the PEM fuel cell""s heat byproduct to warm the flat panel display.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a self-powered cold temperature capable flat panel display system comprising the display panel, a separation means and a PEM fuel cell.
To attain these objects and advantages, the present invention provides a self-powered cold temperature. capable flat panel display system comprising a flat panel display, a PEM fuel cell assembly and a means to separate the display panel from the PEM fuel cell assembly. The separation means further comprises a heat-absorbing panel for cold temperatures, or an insulating panel for uses in warmer climates, or one panel for both heat-absorption and insulation. The PEM fuel cell assembly further comprises a number of flat PEM cells stacked in a side-by-side fashion providing both sufficient wattage and operating voltage to both operate and heat the flat panel display. Combining the display, separation means and the PEM fuel cell assembly in this way provides adequate electrical power to heat the display, without the disadvantages, shortcomings and limitations of increased battery size and system bulkiness. The advantages of the present invention permit taking portable computer technology to rugged and remote field locales that were heretofore considered hostile environments due to the limitations imposed by cold weather.
By generating heat according to the principles of this invention, this invention""s cold temperature capable flat panel display system operates at temperatures of between xe2x88x9220xc2x0 C. and 50xc2x0 C.
One embodiment of the present invention is a separation means that functions as a heat absorber. In another embodiment, the separation means functions as both an insulator to protect the display panel from heat in warm temperatures and as an absorber in cold temperatures. In the preferred embodiment, the separation means is composed of ceramic material to provide improved heat insulating properties. These and other features of the present invention will become apparent from the drawings and the Detailed Description of the Drawings. The scope of this invention is only limited by the annexed claims.